


Fern Flower

by SomePiece



Category: One Piece
Genre: 2nd person POV, Awkwardness, Canon Compliant, Engagement, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Marriage Proposal, Summer Festival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28759692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomePiece/pseuds/SomePiece
Summary: It had been a while since you and Zoro started dating and both of you seemed to be okay with this situation, with no need to push it further. You were pirates after all. But as hot days came and you took a break to enjoy a local summer festival, Zoro's head seemed to drift away. Something was bothering him and you soon would find out what.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Original Female Character(s), Roronoa Zoro/Reader, Roronoa Zoro/You
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	Fern Flower

**Author's Note:**

> The work turned out as a sort of collaboration with @nakunakunomi who agreed to write part 2, Out of All Days to Get Lost! Please, check it out!
> 
> The fern flower and its search is a popular theme in Slavic and Baltic mythologies, associated especially with celebrations of solstices. It is present in many legends, as well as folk traditions, celebrated even today. The flower is said to bring fortune to its finder, but the search for it is risky, because it is supposed to be guarded by countless unfriendly spirits. In Poland the search for fern flower is a popular activity during the Kupala Night (nowadays rather called St. John’s Eve). Young couples go into a forest for a search, women wearing wreaths on their heads. If they come back with a man wearing the wreath instead, according to the tradition it means the couple is engaged to be married ;)

Despite the late hour, the town was buzzing. The calm and drowsy settlement you had gotten used to suddenly turned into an excited swarm of humans. People were all around you, crowding in the narrow lanes and swallowing your small group within seconds. At first you tried to fight it back, but despite your attempts, the mob kept pushing you away from the harbor and tenements looming over the streets were blocking the avenues of escape. It was better to let it lead you on the outskirts, towards the semi-rural area, where villas and gardens were interlaced with fields and meadows. There was enough place there for the crowd to thin out - and for you to withdraw. “It must be some kind of a summer solstice festival”, Robin pointed out though, when another group of white-wearing young women with flower crowns crossed your path. “We’re having the shortest night of the year after all.”

A festival was a nice thought, much nicer than spending another night on the ship, rolling over in the lack of sleep due to humidity and unusually bright skies. Neither of you said anything, but neither of you seemed to fight the crowd anymore as well, letting the flow of human maelstrom lead you towards an unknown destination of promised fun. There was no reason for you to oppose it. You had docked on this island about a week earlier, so plenty of time had been given for an exploration and getting to know the locals. Barely anyone had been paying attention to the presence of a pirate crew, no Marines had been spotted, the food had been tasty, the liquor strong and cheap, the climate mild enough and seas around surprisingly calm for Grandline standards. Finding such an island was a rare opportunity to relax and everyone did their best to use it to its fullest. 

Only your boyfriend, Zoro, seemed to be tense for an unknown reason. He was never a type to easily show excitement nor to leave his duties to one side, but since Sunny had docked in the harbor, his mind seemed to unusually fly free and follow the path only Zoro knew. There were days you hadn’t been seeing him besides breakfast and bed time - but even when he had been remaining by your side, he had kept his distance and had been jolting at the slightest touch of yours.

“Is something wrong?” You had been trying to find out, but grumbles and exasperated glances were all you could get as an answer. So you had given up and had decided to let the events flow naturally. Whatever had been bothering Zoro, maybe he hadn’t found it severe enough to get you involved. And indeed, today seemed to be much better. After breakfast, Zoro had asked you out and you had been spending a nice time, wandering aimlessly around the charming parts of town. Zoro’s hand was sweaty and tense in yours, but he hadn’t rejected your touch, letting you lead him wherever you desired. From a cafe to a cafe, from a bar to a bar, you have been enjoying the lazy warmth of the longest day of the year. Later in the afternoon you had come across Nami in the shopping district and - much to Zoro’s displeasure, since he had ended as a bearer - you had joined her escapade. When the crowd had started gathering on the streets, Robin and Chopper had joined your little group on their way from a bookstore. It hadn’t taken long for all five of you to have been swallowed by the excited mob and pushed away from your initial aim.

Nami was in the front of the group, maneuvering among the crowd and treading roughshod over it. You and Robin were right behind her, holding a firm grip on her blouse; despite the rush Robin was beaming with a good mood, a smile lingering on her face ever since the unspoken decision of joining the festival has been made. The little cavalcade was closed by Zoro, carrying Chopper and Nami’s shopping on his back and holding on your hand for his life. The tight grasp put you in a good mood as well - the physical reminder your boyfriend was finally back to his old self was near at hand, answering your reassuring squeezes with calm and warm strength. Zoro was not the PDA type of guy, but the way he intertwined his fingers with yours was a silent testimony of love, commitment and possession.

“Mine”, was his hand claiming, holding tight on yours, every single little callus and scar palpable like butterfly kisses on your skin. You rubbed your thumb against your favorite one - long and thin old scar between his thumb and index finger, old enough for Zoro to not remember how he got it - and you felt the grip tightening in the answer. You turned to glance at his face and that very moment another group of flower-wearing women came across you. One of them pointed at your white shirt, exchanged knowing looks with her companions and before you could blink, a flower crown landed on your hair as well. 

“Happy solstice!” They greeted you and continued their way, swaying between people.

“Hey!” You tried to grasp their attention and not lose contact with your group at the same time. “Hey, wait! You got it wrong, I am not here for-”

You loosened the grasp on Zoro’s hand, so you could reach for the wreath and take it off, but Zoro only squeezed it harder and almost forcefully held it in its place, “Leave it.” You turned and met his piercing gaze, his only eye practically drowning in the sight of fresh flowers adorning your hair. “It’s pretty. You are pretty.”

Robin chuckled softly and your mouth almost went agape at this sudden rare compliment. Zoro’s brain processed what he just said and an embarrassed blush poured all over his cheeks. He mumbled something under his breath and broke the eye contact. He was confident when it came to cutting his opponents in half - but expressing his love towards you? You had been together for quite a long time but this old habit was dying especially hard. Holding your laugh to yourself, you squeezed his now sweaty and nervous hand and tugged him towards the direction Nami took.

Soon enough you made it to the outskirts. The festival already started, the crowd spread along the field expanding in front of you. Most of the people gathered on the bank of the local river, the one that was flowing into the sea in the harbor area; formed groups - either family or friends or maybe people who just met each other on the way here, you weren’t sure - sat around forearmed bonfires. You chose one for yourself too, closer to the stalls with food and the little stage the music was played from. Zoro and Chopper supplied you with snacks and you all relaxed on the grass, observing the locals and waiting for the event to warm up. Some people were dancing, others - white-wearing women with flowers again - carried big wreaths with lit candles towards the water. Wreaths were then thrown into the river - those which didn’t drown were welcomed with excited cheers. Some of the women followed the stream, rooting for garlands as they were taken away towards the sea. As you observed the crowd having fun, Zoro made himself cozy and ready for a nap - he missed all of his usual hours when wandering around the town with you. He rested his head on your lap and dragged one of your hands to play with his hair, ignoring enamored chuckling the girls made at the sight. Chopper sat close nearby too, occupying your other hand for head scratches and shamelessly using Zoro’s broad chest as a seat. He was devouring his favorite snack - cotton candy - from time to time sharing its pieces with you and Zoro. Everytime the sweet treat touched his lips, the swordsman was frowning - he hated sweetness - but never refused the candy, grabbing it straight from Chopper’s little hooves despite being half asleep. It was an open secret Chopper could do with Zoro whatever he wanted.

As the bonfires around were getting occupied as well, another group went into contact with yours - some guys were desperately trying to grasp Robin’s and Nami’s attention. Zoro was opening his good eye from time to time to take a good look at the intruders, but as the situation was under girls’ control, he didn’t bother to move. You followed their discussion only partially, being more focused on Zoro’s soft hair and Chopper’s excited chirps. The night was very bright even for June standards - despite the fact the Sun hid behind the horizon a long time ago, the northern part of the sky was still beaming with gentle light. Subtle, silver clouds were blending the last rays of sunset with the navy blue above your heads. The first stars of the summer were already visible; you could see the famous Summer Triangle - Deneb, Altair and Vega - along with bright Arcturus, already going into celestial decline. Zoro taught you their names during late walks and night watches you spent together on the crow nest. He was easily lost on the ground, but he somehow always could find the way on the sky. With your eyes following one star after another, you could hear his husky whisper in your head, exactly the same way as he loved to explain to you the celestial map, his lips skimming your ears and his hands gently caressing your body. You felt a fuzzy warmth in your chest as the memory bloomed in your mind and bent down to kiss your boyfriend, but sudden Nami’s screech made you all jolt. Zoro was ready to strike in seconds, hilt in his hand and eye scanning the surrounding in a search of the enemy.

“Five million Berries?!” Nami’s eyes were so wide opened they could dart out any seconds. “Are you for real?!”

“Yeah, it’s quite a pretty sum.” One of the guys from the nearby bonfire was a bit taken aback by Nami’s reaction. “Enough to get yourself a small house around here.”

“It’s hard to find this little shit though”, added his friend. “Last time it happened when I was a kiddo… Fifteen or twenty years ago?”

“Geez, woman”, Zoro fell back on the ground, scowling at Nami. “Don’t scream out of blue.”

“Have you heard that?” Nami completely ignored him and studied your faces in excitement. You could swear you saw a Berri symbol in her irises for a good second. “We have to find it!”

“I’m telling ya, lass, it’s nearly impossible”, the guy who shared the information tried to get her attention back at him. “Better come with us and drink some wine. I know a place where-”

But Nami’s mind was already set on the course of getting her five millions, “Zoro, Chopper, pull yourself together.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Zoro rolled on the side and nuzzled his face closer into your thighs, grabbing Chopper with himself and wrapping his arms around him in a protective manner. “I won’t see a single Berri from it, so I’m not working. Earn your money alone.”

“What is even going on?” Your glance moved from Nami to Robin in a search of explanation. “What are they paying for?”

“Ah, just an interesting retelling of old folk tradition, I suppose.” Robin was the one to give you an answer as Nami was pulling on Zoro’s legs, trying to drag him off you. “They hid a thing called ‘fern flower’ somewhere in the woods. Whoever manages to bring it before midnight, wins those Berries.”

“You can’t go altogether tho”, the guys from other bonfires weren’t giving up. “You need to do it alone or in a pair. Bigger groups lose the prize, even if they find the flower.”

“We are splitting up then”, Nami made her decision. “Chopper and Zoro-”

“I’ll go with (Name)”, your boyfriend got suddenly interested, the phrase ‘splitting up’ springing him to his feet. “What does this shit look like?”

“That’s the point, no one knows. Every year they put something else there. Look for something unusual among the ferns.”

“Fine”, Zoro was already tugging you towards the woods, moving so fast you almost had to run to keep his pace.

“Zoro!” You protested, unsuccessfully trying to stop him. “Are you nuts?! It’s dark there, we’re going to get lost!”

“No, if we stick to the river.” The logic behind his reasoning wasn’t calming you down at all, considering he was perfectly capable of getting lost on his way to a dining room. But surprisingly enough you weren’t veering off course, the bank of the river remaining on the left as Zoro was dragging you deeper and deeper between the trees. Rather than getting lost you started to worry about breathing - his endless stamina and rushed pace he threw was slowly overwhelming your physical possibilities. Zoro was tense and focused on his thoughts rather than checking surrounding ferns, ignoring your desperate pants, darkness swallowing you two as you left clear skies and bonfires far behind you as well as the whole universe around him. When your breaths turned into wheezes, you sunk nails into his wrist and pulled him back, “Zoro, please, I can’t anymore!”

He turned his pale face towards you and you could see worry mixed with anxiety in his eyes. Anxiety? It was something new. Zoro was not a person you could suspect of being anxious. Flustered, confused, tense - yes, you saw him like that many times, especially in the beginning of your relationship, when the intimacy had been new to him. But such an anxiety that you could spot it lingering in his gaze? That was something new. 

“Sorry, (Name), I got lost in thoughts.” He finally stopped and let you catch a breath. You collapsed on the ground, fighting the ache in your lungs. Zoro towered over you, watching you tautly and worryingly, one hand stroking hilts of his katanas - as always when he was stressed. “Need anything?”

“Do we have water? I need to cool off.”

Of course you didn’t. Zoro was in such a hurry you left almost all of your belongings by the bonfire. All you had - besides your clothes - were his swords and your flower crown, now crooked after the crazy raid through the forest. 

“I can get my haramaki wet”, he offered. “You can put it on your forehead or nape.” And before you could answer, he was already on the very bank of the river, taking off said piece of clothing and crouching over the water. 

“Honey, be careful, don’t slip there”, you warned him and - as if you called bad luck upon him - Zoro bent too forward, suddenly cursed and, without even taking his swords off as well, jumped straight into the river.

“Zoro!”

You leaped to your feet and ran along the river, following his figure barely visible over the surface as he was fighting with the current. “Are you crazy?! Get out of there! It’s too dark!”

He ignored you - or the water was muffling your shouts. Zoro wasn’t drowning - what was a small river compared to the sea he usually was swimming in - but still tossing around as if he was trying to get something out of the water. Sometimes he was diving and your heart was almost stopping at his sudden disappearances. But soon you could spot his head again a few feet further. You were breaking through the ferns, screaming his name and begging him to get back on the ground. Before he finally gave up, you could hear the music from the festival again, sounds lingering in the distance behind the trees.

“Are you insane?!” You scolded him as he finally got back to you. “What the hell was that?!”

“I dropped something.” He was so pissed you froze in place, scared of his frown for a second. Why was he suddenly so angry? “Goddammit, I should have done it earlier!”

“Do what?” You gathered courage to dwell on a subject, but Zoro just snapped his fingers at the discussion and gave you his swords, “Here. Gimme a second, I’ll wring my clothes.”

And he dived, this time into ferns, leaving you alone once again. You sighed and cursed at his impulsivity. You sat on a dry looking tree stump and placed the swords on your lap. You could hear swears and wet noises of water falling on the ground as Zoro was stripping behind the curtain of plants and trying to mangle his pants and coat, only his gleaming wet back visible for you. He tried to get water off his boots as well, balanced on one leg, tripped and dropped something again, crouched and disappeared from your sight anew, for a good minute this time, fumbling among the ferns and muttering something under his breath. You peaked curiously, wondering what your dumbass boyfriend was up to this time, and almost screamed in surprise suddenly seeing his naked butt emerging from the leaves as he was trying to get something from between the ferns. 

“Zoro!” You tried to alarm him and to not choke on your own laughter at the same time, but he completely ignored you and continued the looting completely naked, forgetting about clothes, you and the whole world around you. “Cover yourself, you dumbass!”

He finally got out of the ferns - nude as in the day he had been born - and holding something in his hands. Zoro’s eyes met yours and his face tensed in a weird whim between anxiety and enamor. Another nervous tick of his - slightly biting on the left corner of his bottom lip - showed as he approached you and kneeled in front of you, reaching out to you with an open hand. Big, a little bit old-fashioned ring with green stone in an eyelet was resting in the middle of his palm.

“I swear I got you a better one”, he finally choked out after a moment of creepy silence. “But I dropped it into the river. It slipped out of my pocket and-”

“Zoro, what are you…?” Realisation was slowly striking you and your heart clenched in your chest. Your boyfriend, on his knees, presenting a ring to you… Could it be…?

“I still wasn’t sure if I should do it.” Zoro’s voice was almost breaking in his nerves. “And when I dropped this shit… I thought it’s a bad omen and I shouldn’t ask you- But I saw something gleaming in the ferns. And I thought… Fuck it, (Name), I don’t believe in gods and spirits and other shit - but I thought: it has to be The Sign. And I found it.” He moved the hand with the ring closer to you, resting it atop of swords resting on your lap. “Will you do… Would you me a favor- _Oh goddammit!_ \- Would a honor-”

“Zoro…” Your hands moved instinctively to cover your mouth. Emotions shut your throat almost closed, but the scream of happiness was lingering right behind your lips.

“Ah, fuck this fancy shit.” Zoro finally gave up. “Will you marry me?”

“Oh, you dumbass…” Your voice was shaking with emotions too as you barely could hold tears; not sure if happiness or laughter ones. “Of course I will.”

A smile was a rare sight with Zoro - but now his face was simply beaming with it as with trembling hands he tried to put the ring on your finger. You had to help him, your hand brushed against his. And that was it, the impulse that finally made him able to move. Zoro wrapped his muscular arms around you so tightly your ribs protested and suddenly jolted you up, in the air. He stood straight, holding you close to his chest, his fingers grabbing your hip almost painfully as he was showering your face, neck and chest with chaotic kisses, interrupted by frantic spasms of your laughter and random tears of happiness falling on your skin. When you finally made eye contact, the scale of emotions in his iris almost made you gasp. You had no idea he could hide so much of them in the void of his mind and heart. With a sudden idea outburst, you took the flower crown off your head and placed it on his.

“Just promise me you will exchange vows with me while _dressed_ ”, you playfully scolded him when he finally put you back on the ground. Zoro’s face turned completely red with the realisation he proposed to you buttnaked. He mumbled some excuse and jumped into the ferns to get at least his pants back on. You couldn’t cover your laugh anymore, even if you knew he would be pissed about it for the next few days - and simply let it go as he was dragging you back towards the festival. He didn’t say a single word but as your hand was held anew, you could feel his fingers moving in a search of the ring to touch it. Every time one of them skimmed along the metal, Zoro squeezed your hand in a weirdly proudful way.

“Are we telling the rest?” You finally broke the silence with something else than your laugh. You almost made it to the festival field. It must have been around midnight, because the crowd was definitely more loose compared to the time you had left the bonfire. Most of the people left were young couples, enjoying summer wine and dancing to the music. As you made your way past them, whistles and cheers accompanied every step of yours.

“The hell is their problem?” Zoro bristled and tried to shoot them an angry glance, but the flower crown falling on his eyes scuttled all of his attempts. You just dragged him away, towards your bonfire where Robin, Chopper and Nami were awaiting you. Nami was crouching and sobbing, arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked herself back and forth.

“And the hell is _her_ problem?” Your boyfriend - well, now fiancé - frowned at the scene.

“We didn’t find the fern flower.” Chopper explained. “And well, no one did. They stated the end of search maybe a half an hour ago?”

“It was a ring…” Sobbed Nami. “If we had found it, we could at least sell it… But nothing! Both ring and my five million Berries gone…”

Zoro - pale as a freshly white painted wall - quickly snatched the ring from your finger and stuffed it in his pocket before anyone could see it. Robin however managed to grasp the sudden move of his hand - but her eyes focused on the flower crown he was still wearing and a wide, loving smile suddenly appeared on her usually collected and calm face. 

“I hope you’re planning to tell the rest soon”, she whispered to the both of you after a while, when you grabbed your stuff and headed towards harbor. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

“How do you?-” Zoro almost tripped over his legs. Robin gently took off the flower crown from his head and placed it on yours.

“When you entered the woods, (Name) was wearing it, but you came back the other way round. It’s an old tradition here. Couples engage during solstice while looking for the fern flower. If the man comes back with flowers on his head, it means he was accepted.”

Zoro opened his mouth. Zoro closed his mouth.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” Robin took both your and Zoro’s hands and squeezed them firmly in a promise. “But I expect to be the maid of honor.”

You couldn’t help but laughed aloud. Zoro just became more red. Now even his ears were as red as a freshly peeled beetroot.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, I'll really appreciate, if you leave a kudo and/or a comment (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡
> 
> This was initially published on my writing tumblr some-piece. I encourage you to visit it, since I'm far more active there. And from time to time I am open for requests ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


End file.
